By the Work of Their Hands
stor ie s
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fa i th b y
Ma t t
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Ke mni t z ,
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J. D .
Take a look at your hands.
What story do they tell? Maybe you just worked in the garden with them and they are a little dirty. Maybe you just used them to fold the laundry. Maybe you just came from Mass and remember receiving the Eucharist or sharing the sign of peace with someone. You might be saying to yourself, “Well, I just used my hands to pick up this Kansas Monks, my favorite magazine!” Each person’s hands are unique, telling their own story. The look of a farmer’s hands can help tell the story of his or her life. It is a life of hard work. It is a life on the land. It is a life of sweating in the sun and freezing in the cold. It is a life of relying on God. The following are glimpses of the lives of Catholic, faith-filled farmers. From a 95-year-old looking back on his life, to families who have farmed for generations, to a family just starting with no experience. Their farms span from Grinnell, Kan., to Linn, Mo. We spent time with each of them to gain a deeper insight into their farm and faith lives. Like the Benedictine motto Ora et Labora, they use their hands for prayer and work. With their hands they have driven tractors, tilled soil, planted and harvested crops, raised livestock and provided for their families and countless others. These farmers and their families work hard and pray hard. They have rooted themselves in Christ and in the land they care for. They are often on their knees praying in Chuch for rain, on their knees in the fields, or on their knees in sheds fixing their equipment. They are models of stability in a sometimes unstable world. Just as the monks profess a vow of stability to their particular monastery, these farmers represent stability on their spread of land. So get your farm boots on and enjoy this rural ride! continued on next page
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Kansas Monks
B e nning
